Feds back proposed Randall Road fix

Agency commits $10.6M toward intersection project

Federal funding announced Tuesday will cover most of the cost of the proposed Randall Road continuous-flow intersection, should the idea get the ultimate green light.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning announced Tuesday that about $10.6 million in funding is being allocated for the project. It was one of 51 projects selected by the agency for a total of $286 million from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program over the next four years.

The funding would defray more than 80 percent of the estimated $13 million cost to turn the busy intersection of Randall and Algonquin roads into a continuous-flow intersection. The intersection is part of an $80 million improvement package for the Randall Road corridor between Ackman and County Line roads.

County Board Chairwoman Tina Hill, R-Woodstock, expressed cautious optimism over the fund announcement, given that the controversial plan to build a continuous-flow intersection is far from a done deal.

“We’re very excited to receive these funds, but we are still working through this project,” Hill said. “We don’t know, if we don’t end up doing a CFI, if we’ll still get those funds or not.”

One of the reasons the county considered a continuous-flow intersection, besides the much shorter wait time for vehicles, is that it ­increased the odds of the county receiving federal funding.

At a continuous-flow intersection, left-turning vehicles start turning several hundred feet before the main intersection at a crossover intersection. They head into separate lanes that allow them to turn left at the same time that other vehicles are going straight.

The Lake in the Hills Village Board vehemently opposes the proposal because it would close many of the access points to businesses near it. The village estimates that between 70 percent and 80 percent of its retail sales-tax revenue comes from Randall Road businesses north of the intersection. Algonquin Road marks the boundary between Lake in the Hills and Algonquin.

Two firms are negotiating a contract with the county to design the improvements to the Randall Road corridor, which besides the intersection includes six through-lanes, three in each direction. The contract is expected to be finalized by year’s end.